How often do you tidy your sewing area
 

Do you take a few minutes everyday to tidy up?

Any tips you have on how to keep things neat as you go will be appreciated.

The only thing I do well is keep my rulers and tools in one area. I also make sure to always throw away scraps and not on the floor. What happens is I have fabric I set aside while working on a project in case I want to use it again. If I am working on several things this gets a little overwhelming.

I try to keep things out so I see them and don’t forget and then before you know it, it is untidy. Yikes!

I do a good clean up and put away after every project. Always try to keep threads, pins, etc up off the floor as I have pets that wander in the sewing room.

I tidy up each day, it only takes a few minutes. I can't work or concentrate if things are messy. I keep my projects in bins. Each bin has all the fabric I am using for it. leftover fabric stays in the bin til the flimsy is complete and binding is cut, at that point i return the leftover fabric to either be cut down or returned to stash (depending on the size). I also don't leave out more than 2 projects at a time.

When I start a project I place all the fabric, pattern, any notes about the project and thread in a small tote. It all stays in that tote until project is finished. If I change projects everything goes back into that tote, even scraps, until I get back to that project. that way if first projects in my way, one move is all it takes and everything stays together

It depends on what I am doing for the day. For the most part, if I am in the middle of a project, then I leave everything out so I can start up the next day. If I know that I am not going to be able to sew for the next few days or more, then I put away things like scissors and rulers. Clean up the cutting and ironing area but the project still is out so I can see it. Sometimes for me - out of sight, is out of mind.
I have a terrible habit of starting something new before finishing what I am working on. I have a cleaning lady that comes every 4 weeks so most everything is put away then. She only vacuums the room - but I have to get the ironing board and cutting table out of the way along with the machines I have open for use.

I tidy up the place only when I finish a project... but sometimes the project is to complete several WIPs. I like to make a bunch of tops at one time and then do the sandwiching on all of them and then finish them all up, so it may be a while between major cleaning. The feeling of accomplishment is wonderful when I see 5-8 quilts all done at one time!

BTW, they are all baby quilts for donation!

I tidy up every day, I can’t work or concentrate if my room is a mess, I also do a good clean before I start a new project and take a lint brush to my design wall to get off all the strings after each project. I’m a bit of a neat nik, and believe that there is a place for everything and everything has its place. I’m also one that can only work on one project at a time; I guess my brain only functions at a certain level and is not good at multitasking!

My quick answer is "never often enough"! But in reality, I clean up when the "mess and chaos" begins to annoy me or I cannot find that one item I need, like a particular ruler. Over time, I have found that a periodic 5 minute clean up makes a nice difference and I spend less time searching for something that is hiding under a pile of "stuff".

I have to admit, I'm like WMUTeach.

With now having a little Yorky dog and a rescued cat, I'm picking up more than usual. The dog never bothers anything but does lay at my feet, so I'm careful about pins/needles. The cat is another question. He's only been here a week, but is full grown and if he can hop up on couches and beds I know he can get to the ironing board and sewing table. I just have to be more careful and a little more attentive to what is laying around.